Questions about Parris Island’s future prove US Rep. Cunningham isn’t up to the job
The economy of our 1st Congressional District is fueled in part by our military bases and the millions of dollars invested by the federal government and military-related tourism.
In May 2019 U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham announced that he had secured $37.2 million to build a new range at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
What’s puzzling is that just two months later Cunningham voted to mandate the unachievable goal of integrating men, women and transgender individuals at our very own Parris Island — or to suffer the consequences: closure.
Devastating effects
Parris Island is sacred ground for so many military families.
But in addition to that a closure of Parris Island would crush the economies of Port Royal and Beaufort: the base generates $800 million in economic activity for the region and more than 6,000 jobs.
Does someone who votes to shut down such a large piece of our economy sound like they’re voting with the people of the 1st Congressional District in mind?
If potentially losing $800 million for our Lowcountry economy and 6,000 jobs weren’t bad enough, a closure of the base would not just stop at disrupting the lives of civilian base employees — it would also affect every aspect of those communities.
And putting Parris Island on the chopping block would debilitate a large portion of the economy in the surrounding areas, too.
The voting record of Cunningham, a Democratic congressman, does not reflect the values of the Lowcountry — and it will hurt the economic drivers of the 1st Congressional District.
Two possible reasons
We have to wonder why Cunningham would vote this way in the first place.
The first logical conclusion is that Cunningham is a typical politician who doesn’t pay enough attention to where the tax dollars that come out of your paycheck actually end up.
It’s easy for someone to spend other people’s money, especially if they’re not worried about being held accountable by their constituents.
However, the problem is that most of us do not enjoy watching the government waste our hard-earned money when we don’t have the option to withhold or delegate where our money is spent.
The second logical conclusion is far more concerning: Rep. Cunningham is not actually reading the bills that he is voting on.
This is unfortunately true of most politicians in Washington, and it’s happening because Cunningham either can’t be bothered to know how these bills will affect his district or is happy to do whatever House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells him to do.
Party politics as usual
This is party politics as usual.
Whether it is due to carelessness, laziness or just blindly following the dictates of the Democratic Party regardless of the impact it has on the 1st Congressional District, Cunningham has demonstrated that he does not have the district’s best interest at heart.
Won’t be a rubber stamp
I have never been just another rubber stamp for my party and I won’t start now.
I am dedicated to fighting for the values and well-being of the 1st Congressional District.
This includes safeguarding local federal facilities, securing our local economy and ensuring the Lowcountry is protected from any future effects of climate change.
I have also fought my entire life to ensure that women — including young women seeking an education, homemakers and single working moms like me — have equal opportunities to thrive and prosper.
When an elected representative no longer represents the people who elected him, it is time for a new representative. As someone who grew up here in the Lowcountry, I am the right representative for our 1st Congressional District because I will always put the Lowcountry first.
Every. Single. Time.
State Rep. Nancy Mace represents District 99, which includes Berkeley and Charleston counties. Mace is the Republican candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat in the Nov. 3 election.